Tragedy at Six Flags

As we were planing our outing to Six Flags over Georgia, a news flash came on the TV. The headline was “Child Decapitated by Batman Ride at Six Flags”.

My heart sank as I began to ponder how this could happen. My son is 10 years old going on 11 and he was very excited about the whole Six Flags experience, since he has never been. Being a little bit of a scaredy-cat he has always been afraid of roller coasters. I had convinced him that the ride was safe and that it was a lot like some of the other rides that he had ridden in the past.

Needless to say he was having none of it. When he heard the news report,he just about melted down. A few hours later the rest of the story came out. As it turns out, a youth group from a church in South Carolina was visiting Six Flags. Apparently, one of the teens in the group lost his hat while riding the ride. Not wanting to leave the hat behind, the teen, climbed two, 6-8″ high fences that were clearly marked with danger warnings. While retrieving the hat, the ride, loaded with people, struck the teen in the head which resulted in the teens death.

In the grand scheme of things, my sons fear is not worth mentioning, however, my son is very impulsive and it provided me with an opportunity for a “Teachable Moment”. Needless to say he understands the consequences of reckless actions and not heeding the warnings that are given us.

I can only imagine the grief that this family is going through. I can only hope that we all learn from this tragic event, especially my son.